My goal is to eventually make my way through all of these must-read titles. These books have been around for so long and read by so many that another generic review from your average reader seems unnecessary. Instead, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what some of the experts have to say about the stories that paved the way for their own success… and how their perspective compares to my own reading experience. Today, I’m looking at Jeffery Deaver’s The Bone Collector.
Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics – until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. But now a diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New York City’s past – and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a madman who won’t stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.
Jeffrey J. Mariotte calls The Bone Collector “an object lesson in how to write for maximum, satisfying thrills,” and I have to agree. This was one of those rare books that pulls me in so completely that I forget I’m actually reading a book.
“It wasn’t the novel’s horrific parts that gripped me,” writes Mariotte, “as much as it was the interaction between the crippled but brilliant Lincoln Rhyme and third-year Patrol Officer and former model Amelia Sachs. They are two of the most cleverly matched characters in thriller history.”
I will say that Rhyme and Sachs are fascinating characters, both individually and together. But what I most appreciated was the fact that, as strong as they both are, this story isn’t just about them. The plot is just as compelling as they are. It’s a nice change of pace from books that have a gripping plot with hollow characters, or well-formed characters moving through a plot that feels contrived. Jeffery Deaver gives us the whole package.
He also gives us a story “in which the puzzle of a traditional mystery is supercharged by the extremes of the crimes that are committed until the novel’s tone borders on horror.” It won’t be for everyone, but fans of CSI and those interested in forensics should find it an entertaining (if occasionally gruesome) read.
As for me… not only did I find The Bone Collector to be another worthy addition to the must-read list, but I have another author whose backlist I need to add to my TBR.
Fifteen down, eighty-five to go…
Next month I’ll be reading Vera Caspary’s Laura.
Cheap Thrills 
I *loved* The Bone Collector. I read several others featuring Rhyme and Sachs & found them compelling as well. I wondered how they’d hold up over time what with all the changes in tech/gadgets, since I read them before cell phones were common.
It seems like a series I’ll really enjoy, I just don’t know when I’ll find time to read it! The blessing and curse of finding a great new author…
I saw the move The Bone Collector many years before I ever read the book (or truly realized there was a book, I was looking for the book shown in the movie :P) and I remember being a little disappointed that the patrol officer in the book has a different name. But I really enjoyed reading the book that brought about the movie I liked a LOT, and both are fantastic. Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie star as Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Donaghy (Sachs).
I haven’t seen the movie. I’ll have to look it up.
Gotta love those backlists :)
Right?
I’ve read a few Deaver novels here and there, but definitely not in order. This is one that I still need to get to, but I sometimes wonder if I should start back at the beginning and move forward from there.
I can’t jump around like that. I can sometimes pick up a book in the middle IF I’ve heard that it doesn’t rely on continuity… but once I read that one book and determine that it’s a series I’m interested in, then I have to go back to the beginning. But either way, this was just a really good book, series or no series.
Reblogged this on A-Thrill-A-Week and commented:
For you Jeffery Deaver fans here is a review of the Bone Collector from the blog Cheap Thrills.